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You’ll only experience 2018 once ... Here’s how you can end it feeling awesome!

Get ready. Your inbox is about to explode.

As midnight, December 31 draws closer, your email notification pings will sync up with the tick of the countdown clock. Like second-by-second rapid reminders: Ping. Ping. P-I-N-G!

This time of year, every nonprofit is asking you to give. And the causes are almost all important and worthy of your attention and support.

There’s something truly powerful about giving to improve the lives of others in need. Because, none of us were ever meant to live this life alone.

We’re all amazingly and mysteriously connected. And there’s a feeling of wholeness we get in our own souls when we give to help those who are struggling. It’s awesome. It’s even good for your health. Don’t miss the experience . . .

The need is real. It’s huge, in fact. Especially among the kids and families we serve in South Central Los Angeles.

Here’s just a bit of the reality we’re facing in our community:

● A crime rate 60% higher than the national average

● 88% of reporting families living at or below the federal poverty line

● Over 60% of adults didn’t graduate from high school

● 25% fewer college graduates than the rest of the nation

● Unemployment rate more than double the national average

At A Place Called Home, nearly 40% of our funding from individuals is raised in the last few weeks of December. That’s amazing, right?

To put it another way, the extent of our ability to serve those in desperate need in our community every day of the year in 2019 will be hugely affected over the next five days.

● Will we be forced to cut programming?

● Will we have to reduce the number of scholarships we provide?

● Will we have to cancel classes and field trips?

If there’s one thing we hate doing, it’s saying “no” to our kids.

Sofia’s story: the power of giving a child a chance

Sofia is a perfect example. When she came to A Place Called Home, she would barely speak. She was angry. And her icy, middle school exterior shouted to everyone around her that she just didn’t care. Some of the adults in her life had given up on her.

But we couldn’t give up on Sofia. We wouldn’t. And as she got to feel at “home” here, her trust grew. Her spirit came alive. And she discovered in herself a powerful spirit of leadership. Today, she’s an assistant to one of her teachers and a leader among her peers.

This is just one example of the power of the work done at A Place Called Home to transform a child’s life. And it’s all made possible through the generosity of donors like you.

As we close 2018, it’s not just about dollars and cents. It’s about reaching kids and families who need help the most.

If you’d like to give a year-end gift now, your support will go even further through a $10,000 year-end match. That means every $1 you give before midnight, December 31 will become $2 — reaching twice as many children and families in need in South Central Los Angeles.

So end 2018 on a high note. Give from the heart. And feel awesome about being a part of making our community and the world a better place.